i've been a us attorney for this area and starting last month, one of the state voices and that u.s. house. i'm proud to live in a state that spends less than it takes in. the secret to our success has always been a value system that promotes a strong sense of responsibility and accountability. family members and tax payers and community volunteers. for too long, the democratic majority has failed to see the value in the sound model of working hard and living within your means. on their watch, we have been operating without a national budget, piling up debt that exceeds $16 trillion and unemployment levels that remain stubbornly high. we are at risk of having our credit rating downgraded. despite these challenges, americans may have cause for optimism. i recently voted along with my colleagues in the house to present the democratic majority in the u.s. senate with a simple but powerful challenge -- pass a budget or you do not get paid. by forcing senate democrats to live up to one of the asic responsibilities of government, passing a budget, -- one of the basic responsibilities of go